THIS JUST IN: Word from Theo!

Great news, Team Overload! We just got two of our favorite things delivered to our inbox: kitten pics AND WORD FROM THEO*!

Hi Meg! Got a little something here, courtesy of Laurie C. of IBKC, the Dearborns, and the US Freakin’ Army. (Do please follow those links.)

The tabby is Phoebe, the budding Siamese is Sheldon (who looks like Rikki at that age!) and the gray-and-white in my cargo pocket is Pearla. The two calicos are Geraldine and Marla (I don’t remember which is which, sorry). The guy in the ACUs is, well, me, of course.

Cheers! I have 1 week left until I get 2 weeks of leave, and I will be going HOME. Minnesota bound! Take care.

– T. (SPC Durbin)

*For any folks new to the site, Theo was our comment moderator extraordinaire for years, before the Army called! We’re so glad to hear how well he’s doing and maintaining his connection to The Qte. I know, let’s tell him how much we miss him, in the comments!

Oh my goodness. This has made my day. Two of my favorite little worlds on the internet have collided! The Dearborns are fabulously cute, and to have CO’s very own (also fabulously cute) Teho paying them a visit is just excellent beyond words. I’d absolutely love to hear how Theo and Miss Laurie of IBKC arranged this meeting!

Same here, Theo :D I am from Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada and I salute you :D I am also glad to finally connect a face and name to pictures, especially of ones of cute little kitties with their handsome (lucky wife) and loving owner :D

Yay Theo!! Such wonderful pics!! Thanks for sharing! Shame there is no marmie Dearborn for you to snuggle, but it doesn’t look like you’re complainin’! Glad you got to do this! And as always, thanks for your service — though you also served your country in an important way when you were our moderator extraordinaire!
We miss you!
(And Yay IBKC!! Love those kitties and their wrangler, Laurie!)

But if the All-Theo-All-The-Time calendar gets into enemy hands, he’d be doomed and our state secrets would be in jeopardy. They’d take one look and realize that regular interrogation techniques wouldn’t work on Theo–instead, all they’d have to do is pull out some helpless kittayns and Theo’d sing like a canary!

Theo, so happy to see you. That little gray and white kitty who is almost invisibuhls against the camo reminds me of Predator, but in an oh-so-cute way. Come home soon to stay and bring everyone else with you. Over and out!

Teho!! **salute**
Thanks for your service, thanks for the armload of kitties (except the gray one, I can’t see the gray one), and have a wonderful time on your leave. I agree, we have our cover, people. As you were…

Yay for Teho – we miss you! Yay for Minnesota! (I’m going back in August) Yay for the Dearborns! I went to the Flickr site and saw the “napping and purring” video, and now I just play it over and over and over…

Hiya, Teho, it’s wonderful to see that you’re doing so well! Sadly, I can no longer hold a job for you at the Embassy because I had to curtail. :( I’m hoping to get repaired and head out again — how does Europe sound?

Jaye, been there, done that. Army wife is the toughest job. But there’s nothing like seeing them get off the plane. I was so grateful to see my family waiting for me too, as I was enlisted also. So I’ve been on both sides. I wouldn’t trade it for tge world. Thanks for your sacrifice.

Glad to hear Theo is safe & alright! Big thank you for serving our country, Theo! (I hope when he gets back he reopens his website!) I’d love to see some Rikki, Mr.
Bounce updates! That video of Rikki on top of Mr. Bounce’s head was hysterical!

Not much more I can add except…. thanks to both Teho and Jaye for their service and their sacrifices. I miss Teho but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that our country needs him even more than CO does. Yay to both of you, yay to the adorabuhl kitties, yay to our entire military! Stay safe.

You sport your ACU’s well! Lots of pockets for kittens! Can’t help but note there isn’t a marmie puddy-tat in the bunch, though.

Our older son is in his Army LDAC right now. Big doings all around!

Have a great leave, and thank you for your service to our wonnerful country. Killer Corgi and the whole gang from the Steppes of Central Connecticut are very proud to know you. Outsmart those buggers for us, ok?
Fondly,
Katrina

Can’t say much that hasn’t already been said, but I feel compelled to weigh in anyway: GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU THEO!! I’ve always enjoyed your mod comments…always fun and often insightful to boot. Love seeing your tiger avatar. Perhaps you’ll visit here more often during your leave?

Thanks for being such a good role model. Wit, love for kitties, love for family, love for country. Who you are just makes me feel good and I’m glad to know you’re in the world. OK, I’ll stop now. ;-)

THEO!!!!! So glad you’re keeping well and keeping in touch. The Kitties are PRECIOUS!! Hope you’re keeping the Army steeped in the Qte!!! Those big strong soldiers need to be reminded that they are allowed to turn into marshmellows sometimes ;)

TEHO! So glad to see you again! I have sorely missed your blog and your awesome moderation of the wacky cuteness around here :) Take care of yourself out there and know that there are seventeen squillion tons of good wishes heading your way from us faithful readers! And give not-so-little miss-ter (sorry, I couldn’t resist!) Rikki a snorgle for me when you get home. :)

Just wanted to add to all of the “thank you”s to you and your own sacrifice <3
I am now wishing for Friday to get here faster for you (and Theo). Will be saluting you both this weekend as we celebrate our country!

I momentarily do not have the stamina to read through all 239 comments first to see if anyone else has recommended this, but IMHO Theo should totally be the coverboy for the Men of Cuteoverload calendar.

Thanks for serving and protecting our permanent sanctuary, and I love the pics of you giving those kittens temp camo sanctuary! Love to hear from the great Theo anytime on CuteOverload, miss the Theo-comments, though CuteOverload is still the BEST and QTEST! Thanks again to you and all those serving, and have a joyful leave!

Theo & Jaye- thank you for your service & sacrifice. I hope you enjoy every minute of your leave!
“there’s no place I can be
Since I found IBKC
But you can’t take the kittehs from me!” ;-) apols to JW!

To paraphrase Gang of Four:
“I love a man in a uniform / the girls they love to see you QTE”
Good to see you again Teho — these pix ever so much squee-er than the giant stoat photo. Enjoy Minnesota!
..and of course thank you for your service to the people of this country!

I think it’s so sweet that a tough army guy loves CuteOverload and cute little animals. I feel like most military people feel they have to be “tough,” so it’s great to see a guy like this who’s so into cute fuzzy animals.
Good luck, Theo! Be safe!

Theo,
While I really don’t know you I just want to say thank you very much for your time in the Military my family and I appreciate it.
I loved the pictures of you and the kittens they are adorable.
Thank you again,
Pat

Yay kittens! <3 Thanks for your service to the cute and the country. Nothing too exciting is happening here in Minnesota, unless you count the inevitable shutdown of our state government in a few days D:

Allie, they will be adopted by kind-hearted folk in the Tacoma-Seattle area. Laurie C., kitty foster mom extraordinaire, carefully screens all applicants for her foster babies. You can be assured that they will all go to good, wonderful, loving homes.

Nope. No such luck, especially from England. I think it is one of the Aunties – Mame or Bellum – who has met him and described him as (I recall) jacket and jeans with glasses and a floppy fringe. I am truly in love. We are totally compatible, y’see; I like wearing girl-jackets and girl-jeans and I wear glasses but I have sticky-up-and-out hair. He’s all mine (in the alternative universe, of course) ;)

Awwwww Teho!! I’m so out of touch with the CO world that I didn’t even know he had joined up. THANKS, Theo.

I would also like to echo all of the comments here and say “Dang, I didn’t know that Theo was so handsome or I would have been a bit more shy about commenting” and “ZOMG my ovaries”.

Also, I have SUCH a kitten-crush on Sheldon, I have been following him at IBKC, goodness me. I lost the creature closest to me, Mr Hobbes, from chronic renal failure in March. I would so love to find another cat soul-mate, but I promised Mr Higgins (Mr Hobbes’ brother) that he could be an only cat while he goes through CRF. I’ll just have to wait and find two, when the time comes to adopt some forever-pets again!! Sheldon makes it hard to keep my promises!! :-D

Every good wish to you and to your unit, and the home units, too. I’m sure, Teho, that you’ll be weary and achy from scrolling down through all these posts. Just know that we are all very aware of the service of the Service – and want you to be safe, sound and home soon. It does a body good to see the softer side of what is a hard duty.
And, oh yes, the fuzzy ones are just so a-, b-, c- and d-dorables. I love that Pearla-kitteh – so solemn in her tuxedo!
Oh, and have a luvly leave, and happy 4th.

Teho – I hope you were wearing Kevlar when you were holding those kittehs – ouch! And every time I see your name, I inevitably start hearing Belafonte, which seems particularly appropriate at this time…”Tay-ho…taaaaay-ho…daylight come and I want to go home…”

After 354 comments I feel like the party happened while I was at work and I came home to a LOT of slightly awry stuff that suggests a happy bit ‘o’ chaos had occurred, and, had just slipped out the back door as I came in the front.

Cat hair still lingers in the air and on my chair, the pattering of paws echoes softly in my ear and on these walls I still can hear the laughter that was here.

Oh man, this made me squee BIG time! Theo, you are awesome! My boyfriend’s serving in Afghanistan right now, and we’re planning on getting a new kitten to keep our existing kitteh company when he comes home! Men in uniform who love Teh Qte are the very, very best. :)

ZOMG, Ln’C — I thought I was the only one! That was the first thing that went through my head the first time I visited CO …
So, Teho, allow me to join in the chorus of “Thank you for your service”s and “Stay safe”s and Dang, you really ARE Qte. [OK, that was just me doing a solo.] Have a wonderful leave and enjoy the kittehs!

OMDOG.I read this comment in my in-box but it didint hit until I read about 100 other comments (including “I’m kinda use to it, I get out the mop and start mopping up the puddles of drool!”!!!!!!1!!!!But I’m gonna be in a virt. universe tonnight.